Technology is everywhere in the business experience today. There are no business sectors untouched by technology. Those who leverage technology experience overwhelming superiority over competitors that don’t.
Marketing
Digital Marketing is the single biggest spend of any marketing budget. The first thought for most business owners is that “my target market isn’t on the internet”. I’ve got news for them. Everyone is on the internet.
In fact the minority of your target market may be mostly checked out of the internet; they aren’t on social media, and they still use a yellow pages book to find businesses. Is that a portion of your market you want to build a plan around?
Avoiding an investment in digital marketing sets a business far behind most competitors. As the years go by, that gap can become impossible to recover from.
Employees
Long gone are the days of employees finding your job posting in the newspaper. Starting in 2020 a huge shift began where the candidate wielded far more power in the hiring process due to low unemployment.
Can you imagine companies actually making marketing plans for candidates? Catering to people looking for work with tactics unimaginable just 3 years before. Technology has led to not just web-based job boards, but automation which filters candidates with artificial intelligence and virtual interviews.
Companies that plan for this are hiring more employees and those employees are happier and more likely to stay on.
Vendors & Service Providers
The professionals we require to assist us like bookkeepers, accountants, product vendors, and even subcontractors are using technology. They are using online portals for document transfers, remote desktop control, and virtual meetings.
Ignoring technology sets a firm far behind and might actually have to work with sub-caliber professionals that also can’t keep up.
Financial Concerns
The very process of working with a small business has undergone a huge transformation. Ordering products, supporting them, getting paid for them and paying others are all benefitted by technology. Those who use it best are light years beyond the competition. As we become more cost-conscious, we have to look at streamlining processes and automation. These are the very things technology is meant to address.
Sector Dependence
There are some sectors more dependent upon technology than others. Healthcare and retail might come immediately to mind.
Dentistry and Optician small businesses are competing with larger firms that have automated appointment setting.
Other sectors include small law firms, who need to improve call response time to compete with larger automated firms. Small accounting firms relying on securely sending financial statements by mail are traveling at a snail’s pace behind secure file sharing portals.
Let’s Talk about Technology
Not only have I leveraged technology in my own business, I have helped many kinds of small business firms. The key is designing systems that bring a return on investment in the shortest time possible. Bringing proven systems to bear and tackle difficult business challenges.